1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to the delivery of dynamically allocated, combined voice and data streams over existing wiring, such as telephone wiring.
2. Description of Related Art
The increased demand for integrating communication devices, such as telephones, facsimile, and computers, has led to increasing requirements for networking capability within premises, such as an office or a home. Many offices and homes that include these devices would benefit from well-integrated networking. However, in these environments, it is usually not cost-effective to plan and install additional Ethernet or other network wiring to achieve high internal bandwidth. Therefore, there is a need for new technology to provide networks within environments such as the office or the home.
The invention relates to a system and method for multi-channel voice and data service which are transmitted over existing wiring. More particularly, a line interface device monitors and manages bandwidth demands over installed physical mediums such as twisted pair wiring for telephones or coaxial cable wirings for cable TV, for example, and multiplexes network data on the physical mediums using techniques such as CDMA (code division multiple access) techniques, for example. A single, high-rate bit stream is provided which may be entered or tapped by way of a conventional RJ-11 telephone outlet, for example. The network bandwidth may be distributed dynamically within the premises among devices that request network usage.